There's something about midnight air that makes secrets feel louder.
Maybe it's the silence of the world asleep, or maybe it's the part of us that knows we're not supposed to be out here, chasing ghosts, asking questions we swore we'd bury.
But I was here.
Outside the gates of the Rivas estate. Wrapped in a dark coat. No guards. No Valen. Just my heart, pounding like it knew this could be a mistake I wouldn't come back from.
I took a deep breath and crossed the street.
The warehouse district was mostly abandoned now, old buildings swallowed by time, their windows cracked like shattered memories. I kept my hood up, footsteps light, my fingers tight around the pendant Valen gave me.
I didn't come for Kael.
I came for the truth.
But when I reached the warehouse door, doubt wrapped around my throat like a noose.
This could be a trap.
What if Kael wasn't here to talk?
What if Valen was right about him?
What if everyone was lying?
I pushed the door open.
Inside, the space was mostly empty except for the sharp scent of oil and the flicker of candlelight from the far corner. Kael stood there, leaning against a rusted column, tossing something between his hands.
A lighter.
I swallowed hard.
"Brave of you," he said without turning. "Coming alone."
"You said you had answers."
"I do." He looked at me now. "But you won't like them."
"Try me."
Kael stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "Did Valen ever tell you about the Rivas Manor Fire of 2013?"
My stomach dropped. "That was before I met him."
"Exactly. The same year your brother started working for their family. The same year a wing of the Rivas estate mysteriously caught fire. The report called it an accident. But your brother? He said otherwise."
"What are you talking about?"
Kael's voice lowered. "Eiran told me he found something. Documents. Evidence. Something about human trafficking through one of the Rivas subsidiaries. Said Valen didn't know. But the rest of his family"
My chest tightened. "No."
"Your brother planned to leak it. Said he'd go public. But three days later, boom." Kael snapped his fingers. "The fire. Everything gone. Including him."
I shook my head. "Valen was there. He tried to save me. He carried me out."
"And what about before the fire?" Kael demanded. "Why did Eiran ask me to come pick you up that night? Why was I the one he trusted to get you out?"
I froze.
"I never got to you in time," he said quietly. "Someone knocked me out in the parking lot. When I woke up, the building was burning."
"No," I whispered. "That can't be right. I remember Valen"
"Memories lie, Elyra. Especially when someone wants them to."
I staggered backward, dizzy.
If Kael was telling the truth
Why did Valen lie?
Why did he say we were investigating together?
Unless
"Unless he wanted to keep you close," Kael said, as if reading my mind. "To make sure you didn't remember too much. Or ask the wrong questions."
A wave of nausea hit me. "He wouldn't"
But my voice cracked.
Because a part of me wasn't sure anymore.
Not when everything felt like smoke and illusion.
Kael stepped forward, softer now. "Look I don't want to hurt you, Elyra. I just want you to wake up. You're not safe there."
"Why now?" I asked bitterly. "Why wait all these years to say something?"
"I tried," he said. "But after the fire, you disappeared. Valen had you locked away. Private clinics. Out of the country. You were gone. And by the time you came back"
"I was engaged."
Kael nodded. "By force or choice?"
"I don't know anymore."
He stared at me, something pained in his eyes. "You deserve better than this mess."
"Then help me find the truth."
When I returned to the mansion, dawn was beginning to rise.
I snuck back through the servant's entrance, up the stairs, heart thundering in my ears.
But when I reached my room, Valen was already there.
Sitting on the edge of my bed.
Waiting.
His expression unreadable. His suit still perfect. His eyes burning.
"Where were you?" he asked quietly.
I hesitated too long.
His jaw clenched. "You went to Kael."
I said nothing.
Valen stood, his body radiating barely restrained anger or was it fear?
"Elyra, do you have any idea what you've just risked?"
"Yes," I said. "The same thing I risked by trusting you."
He stilled.
I walked toward him, every step shaking. "Why did you lie to me, Valen?"
"I didn't."
"About the fire. About Eiran. About that night."
His silence screamed louder than any confession.
"You were there," I said. "Kael said Eiran found something. That he was going to leak it."
"He was wrong."
"So you admit you knew."
Valen's voice dropped. "I didn't know what Eiran had until it was too late. He never told me. But someone else found out. My family has shadows I've been fighting my whole life, Elyra. You think I don't know what they're capable of?"
My throat tightened.
"I tried to protect you," he said. "And when I found you unconscious in the fire, I thought I'd failed."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to carry that weight. I didn't want to destroy your memories of your brother or of me."
Tears burned in my eyes.
"You let me live a lie."
"No," he said. "I let you live."
He stepped closer, cupping my face.
"I love you, Elyra. In ways I can't even explain. But you need to understand if you go digging into this, if you follow Kael down this path, there's no coming back. And they will come for you."
"Then let them."
His grip tightened just a fraction. "I won't lose you. Not to them. Not to him."
His lips crashed into mine, fierce, possessive, like he was trying to stake his claim with breath and fire.
And for a moment, I kissed him back.
Because I was angry. Because I was scared. Because I still wanted to believe in us.
But the moment I pulled away
I knew.
I couldn't run anymore.
I had to face what was buried in the ashes.
Even if it meant burning everything down.